Chapter 1180 Still Can't Sleep
In my entire life, I have made no mistakes...
You're wrong...
Never made a mistake in my life...
Wrong...
Shang Ruyi wandered through this maze of thoughts, her past loves, hates, and grudges binding her like a long thread, making it hard for her to breathe. Gradually, her breathing became heavier and heavier, as if she were being dragged into a dangerous bottomless abyss.
Just then, a wave of warmth suddenly swept over her, enveloping her and pulling her out of the boundless darkness.
"Hmm..."
She let out an unconscious murmur, and then heard a deep voice, with a hint of deliberate gentleness, whisper in her ear: "Ruyi?"
Shang Ruyi slowly opened her eyes and found that it was already late at night. It was pitch black all around. She rubbed her eyes again and could barely make out a tall, dark figure squatting in front of her. Although she couldn't see the figure clearly, she could see that the bright and cold eyes shone brightly in the darkness.
The rough, large hand gently stroked his face; the almost life-saving warmth had come from that hand.
"Feng Chen..."
She spoke softly, and as she was about to get up, she felt weak all over and unable to muster any strength.
The man squatting in front of her was Yuwen Ye, who had finally come to Nuanwu to find her after dealing with all the affairs of Ziwei Palace. He was still wearing his armor, but perhaps because it was just the two of them facing each other, he did not exude the fierceness and oppressive aura he did in front of others. Instead, his long, gentle breaths revealed an unbelievable tenderness.
He then reached out and brushed the stray hairs off Shang Ruyi's cheek: "Yes, it's me."
"Is it all over?"
"The major issues have been resolved. There are still some minor matters that require further consideration."
"In that city—"
"All the garrison has surrendered, and everything went smoothly."
"And what about the common people?"
“I have already sent Shantong’er with people to retrieve grain from the Luocang granary. They should be back in two days at most. The people are just short of food right now. Whoever feeds them will be their people.”
This last sentence, though simple and blunt, is a wake-up call, the most straightforward truth.
Shang Ruyi became more lucid. While speaking, she kept trying to get up, but her wrists and arms were too weak to support her. Yuwen Ye noticed her predicament and reached out to lift her up from the ground, saying, "I told you to come and rest. Who told you to sleep on the ground?"
"Hmm... there's no bed here either, Liang Shide probably moved it away."
"Then you won't have someone move in again?"
Yuwen Ye shook his head helplessly. Only when she was nestled in his arms did Shang Ruyi realize that her body was a little cold. The warm house was so cozy, so why did she feel cold after waking up?
The sudden change in temperature made her shiver.
As Yuwen Ye pulled off his cloak and wrapped it around her, he said, "I heard that Liang Shide has been staying here since autumn, and he has people keep the warm house burning hot every day—it costs tens or even hundreds of taels of silver a day. But when the city fell, the palace servants in charge of the fire ran away, and no one added charcoal, so it got cold here."
Shang Ruyi said, "No wonder."
She sighed, then laughed and said, "Extravagance, apart from costing money, really doesn't have any downsides."
Yuwen Ye said, "The biggest drawback is that it costs money."
After saying that, he lifted her up in his arms with a forceful movement. Shang Ruyi didn't struggle. After all, she had already felt that she had no strength left. Now that they were leaving Nuanwu, she figured that she would have a hard time walking such a long way. So she nestled obediently in his arms and whispered, "Where are we going now?"
Yuwen Ye said, "Let's go to the Emperor's residence."
"Um."
Shang Ruyi didn't ask any more questions and obediently reached out and hugged his neck.
Once outside, it was pitch black, with only a few fires in the distance, indicating that someone was guarding the palace gates all night to prevent any further accidents. Yuwen Ye carried her in his arms, walking through the night, passing through one palace gate after another, and through one long alley after another.
The journey was quiet. He didn't ask her what she had seen or thought about in the warm house. Shang Ruyi didn't explain the dried tear stain at the corner of her eye. The wind was strong that night, but Yuwen Ye's thick cloak and chest protected her, preventing a wisp of cold wind from reaching her. Even after leaving Xuanren Gate and getting into the carriage, the two didn't separate. They listened to each other's breathing and heartbeats, and the long night didn't seem so unbearable anymore.
The carriage traveled for a while before finally stopping in front of the Gong family's house.
This was Shang Ruyi's first time visiting the official's residence, and she felt quite unfamiliar with it. Yet, in the pitch-black night, the mansion was brightly lit, which inexplicably gave her a sense of security. Upon entering, she saw all the members of the official's household. Although it was past midnight, none of them dared to sleep. Even the children stood in the main hall, rubbing their eyes and looking bewildered, as if preparing to step forward to pay their respects and kowtow, as if undergoing an inspection.
Yuwen Ye waved his hand and said, "No need to be so formal. It's too late today, you can all go down."
The group then withdrew as if they had been granted a pardon.
However, as the head of the family, Guan Ao naturally could not leave. He personally led Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi to the dining hall, where a table of steaming food had already been set out. Guan Ao said, "It's just simple food, please don't mind it, Prince Qin and Princess."
Shang Ruyi originally wanted to say a few friendly words to get closer to the relationship, but as soon as she smelled the aroma of the food, she felt completely exhausted again. She realized that her weakness in the Ziwei Palace was partly due to painful memories, and probably nine-tenths of it was because she hadn't eaten or drunk anything for most of the day. So she could only say simply, "Not at all."
After the two sat down, Yuwen Ye didn't immediately pick up his chopsticks, but instead asked, "Where are the others?"
In order to appease the people in the city, after occupying the Ziwei Palace and controlling several city gates and key passes, the other soldiers were stationed outside the city to avoid disturbing the people, but some people were not allowed to leave the city.
Guan Ao immediately replied, "Your Highness, rest assured, Young Master Pei and the other two are here. You can see them anytime you wish."
Yuwen Ye nodded and said, "Let's eat first and then talk."
Guan Ao responded and then left.
Once he left, only the two of them remained in the large dining hall. Yuwen Ye turned to look at Shang Ruyi's expectant expression, a smile appearing on his lips, and said, "Eat quickly, I know you must be starving."
Shang Ruyi didn't utter a sound, picked up her bowl and chopsticks and started eating.
After a few sips of hot soup and some food to fill her stomach, Shang Ruyi immediately felt that the emptiness in her chest was not so empty anymore. Even her dejected mood seemed to have dissipated a lot, as if the coldness in her body had been driven away by the hot soup.
After the hunger subsided, I regained my senses.
While continuing to eat in small bites, Shang Ruyi asked, "How many people did you leave in the city?"
Yuwen Ye said, "Less than three thousand."
In other words, almost all of the remaining 20,000 soldiers were stationed outside the city.
According to their previous estimates, there were not many troops left in Luoyang. Now that the overall situation was settled, there was no need to worry about a counterattack. However, after not having to worry about the enemy, they naturally had to start worrying about their own side. For example, the only one who fought against them in the Ziwei Palace today was Yuwen Cheng.
Shang Ruyi asked, "Where is the King of Qi?"
Yuwen Ye said, "His army was already stationed outside the city. Now that the situation inside the city is under control, I won't let his army come over, so he can't make any rash moves."
Shang Ruyi said, "Then, our people—"
She spoke in a very low voice, clearly indicating that what she said was not meant to be heard.
Upon hearing her hesitant tone, Yuwen Ye immediately understood what she was worried about. Soldiers march and fight for military pay and rewards after victory. Therefore, some generals allow their soldiers to plunder the people for a few days after capturing a city because they may not have enough money to reward their soldiers. However, they still want people to fight for them, so they can only sacrifice the people.
But Yuwen Ye and she both made a promise at the altar today that they would not commit any offenses after entering the city.
So, how should we reward the soldiers who followed them in their campaigns?
We can't—
Meeting Shang Ruyi's flickering gaze, Yuwen Ye's eyes flashed with a smile. Although Shang Ruyi was not a female general who was good at fighting, she was well-versed in military affairs and often worked in perfect harmony with him.
He placed some food in her bowl and plate, and said softly, "I'll take care of this, don't worry."
How do he plan to solve this?
Before entering the city, Shang Ruyi had his sights set on the treasury, but Yuwen Cheng also wanted to open it. They could only stop him by saying that he could not enter the treasury without the emperor's permission. But this reason also stopped them. Now that there was no income, how to reward the soldiers became the biggest problem, especially for the group of people who had just surrendered and followed them to Luoyang.
Seeing Yuwen Ye's mysterious and unwilling-to-say-it appearance, Shang Ruyi knew she wouldn't get any answers, so she could only suppress her curiosity.
Before long, both of them had eaten and drunk their fill.
Looking at the sky outside, it was already past the hour of Yin (3-5 AM). Because she had already taken a nap in Nuanwu, Shang Ruyi was no longer so sleepy. However, Yuwen Ye had been busy all day without closing his eyes, and by this time, both of his eyes were red and swollen.
Shang Ruyi said softly, "Go and rest for a while."
Yuwen Ye covered his mouth with his hand and yawned softly, his eyes slightly moist, but his gaze was still very sharp and clear. He said, "I can't sleep now."
Can't I sleep yet?
Shang Ruyi was greatly surprised—the situation in the city had temporarily stabilized, so what else did he need to do?
Just as they were wondering, a deep voice came from outside the dining hall: "Your Highness, Princess Consort, would you mind taking a moment to see me?"
Upon hearing the voice, the two exchanged a glance, their expressions immediately becoming alert and vigilant. Yuwen Ye got up, walked over, and opened the door to the dining hall, where he indeed saw a handsome young man standing outside.
As soon as he opened the door, she immediately bowed and greeted him.
It's Jiang Yan.
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